Lost
by 13-Goth-Gyrl-13
Summary: Nico runs into a very strange girl on the streets of L.A. Something about her catches his eye and he can't help but want to know more. She promises to help him find what he has lost. Unknown to him, she is searching for what she has lost as well and finds it in him. NicoxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! You're probably thinking, "Why is she writing so many stories at once?" And to answer that question: I don't really know. I just have so many story ideas in my head that I have to let out and I know that if you're as loyal as I think you guys are, then I know you'll have the patience for me to update all my stories. I promise I will see them to the end no matter how long it takes. Plus if I have writer's block on one story, you'll always get an update from me. This story is NicoxOC. So if you don't like OCs then don't read, but if you do then continue reading and I hope you guys like it. Oh, and this takes place during The Lost Hero while Jason, Piper, and Leo are on their quest. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: PJO and Nico are not mine, unfortunately. Only Esperanza is mine.**

Lost

Chapter 1

Frustration left his chapped lips in the form of a sigh. The chilled winter air nipped playfully at his exposed skin as the sun set behind the ocean. His footsteps echoed throughout the empty street. For a moment he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. The bold, black letters of DOA Recording Studios seemed to taunt him as he thought about the audience, or, rather, lack thereof, with his father. He quickly shook his head and turned to leave. He did not need this burden of paranoia weighing on his shoulders.

From around the corner he could have sworn he heard quick steps, but ignored them until he heard a high pitched voice shriek, "Look out!"

As he stepped onto the curb something hard connected with him so hard he fell on his back. The concrete embraced him as a windshield would a bug. His neck seemed snap as his head collided with the ground. His whole body seemed to buzz uncontrollably. Slowly and cautiously, he sat up to see what kind of car ran into him.

To say he was surprised to see a girl in front of him would be an understatement. They were both under a bright street light so he could get a good look at her. She looked around his age, thirteen maybe fourteen, and seemed to be in the same state he was. Her attire made him raise an eyebrow. She wore a chocolate brown corduroy jacket over a yellow-orange blouse tucked into a pair of high-waist crimson shorts that reached her mid-thigh. Cerulean tights hugged her legs with a pair of brown leather boots that reached her ankles. A red leather gloved hand was rubbing her head. Her dark brown hair was tied back except for a loose curl that reached her waist. Her complexion was a light caramel with light freckles running along her nose. She appeared to have a round, soft face and build.

"Are…are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Y—yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She groaned as she looked up at him with the biggest blue-green eyes he had ever seen. "Sorry about that."

"Its, uh, fine. No damage done, I think."

She chuckled for a moment before abruptly stopping and looking around furiously. "Crap!"

Nico looked at her quizzically. "What is it?"

"My glasses! I can't see a thing without my glasses!" she panicked as she searched within the perimeter of the light.

"What do they look like?"

"They're round with thin bronze frames."

He sighed as he shifted but caught his breath when he felt something semi-sharp stab him in the thigh. He rolled to the side to reveal the pair of glasses broken in half. "Um…found them. Sorry."

She sighed in aggravation. "It's okay. I have plenty of glasses back at home."

As he handed them to her he asked, "May I have the honor of knowing the name of the girl who tried to kill me?"

She glanced at him apprehensively before putting out her hand and saying rather cheerfully, "Esperanza de la Rosa at your service."

He took her hand. "Nico di Angelo. Nice to meet you."

She gasped as she sat up straight. "You're Lord Hades' son!"

She caught him off guard for a moment. "H—how do you know that?"

"I, uh, kind of, um, work in the Underworld, I guess. Part time, that is," she said bashfully as her cheeks brightened slightly. "I've, um, heard about you down there."

He narrowed his dark eyes at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm kind of a, uh, guardian, I guess you could say, of my mother's river." The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a smirk.

"Who's your mother?"

She seemed a little startled by the question and she turned away as she played with the loose curl. "My mother is Mnemosyne, the Titan of memory."

Now it was Nico's turn to be a little startled. "There are demi-titans?"

"No, not really. I'm pretty much the only one." A sigh left her rather full lips. "Well, that I know of anyway."

"Huh… I would have never guessed that Titans could have kids with mortals," he mused quietly.

They sat in relative silence for a minute or two before Esperanza perked up. "Hey, do you have a place to stay?"

Nico's eyebrows rose slightly as he shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Um, no actually, but I wasn't—"

"You can stay at my place, if you'd like." She gave him a big, goofy grin and batted her long, dark lashes. "I'm sure my grandparents wouldn't mind. My _abuela _loves having guests and she makes really good food, too. I'm sure we'd be able to make room for you."

Nico didn't plan on staying in L.A. He had to continue looking for Percy. He had no time to waste time. But something about this strange demi-titan made him want to stay. He wanted to know more about her. There were dozens of people looking for Percy. Percy could wait.

After licking his chapped lips he replied, "Sure."

She squealed with delight and yanked him to his feet. "Great! Then let's go!"

**A/N: How'd you guys like it? It gets really interesting deeper into the story, I promise. I wrote this at midnight so it might not be my best work, but I tried. Esperanza is probably one of my favorite OCs because she's so kooky. I'd probably date her, no joke.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hola! I know not very many people checked this out, but I hope more do soon. Esperanza is awesome, if I do say so myself, and so is Nico (of course, you guys already knew that ;)). And here is chapter two! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Only the OCs are mine.**

**Warning: There is Spanish in this story, so if you don't know the language open up either a dictionary or Google translate.**

Lost

Chapter 2

Esperanza was stronger than she looked. The whole way to her house she had Nico's hand in a vice grip as she dragged him along. He had to resist the urge to wince every once and awhile. Thankfully the house was only a block and a half away.

She released his hand, much to his relief, and spread her hands in a grand gesture. "We are here!"

Nico couldn't help but chuckle quietly at her enthusiasm as he looked at the house. It was nothing too spectacular, but it was still quite beautiful. From the lights of the porch he could see the yard was incased by an iron fence. The walls appeared to be made of white stone and the roof of red tiles. In the driveway was a classic Ford pickup in matte black. As they walked, well Esperanza skipped, up the walkway Nico noted all the many different flowers and plants to his right; the winter didn't seem to be treating them very well.

As she swung the door open she called, "_Abuelo! Abuela! Donde estas?_"

"_En la cocina, mija!_" an elderly woman's voice replied.

Esperanza turned back to Nico. "Wait out here."

Warm air brushed against his skin as the door closed. A hint of hot, fresh food lingered around his nose making him involuntarily lean forward.

Not even a minute later the demi-titan returned and grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him inside with a little more force than was necessary. She walked so fast he barely caught what any of the inside of the house looked like. The only thing he could tell was that it was very warm from all the browns, reds, and oranges, with the occasional blue and green, he saw out of the corners of his eyes. When they stopped Nico's nose was assaulted by the smell of spices, both zesty and otherwise.

"_Abuela, esto es Nico di Angelo. El es el hijo de Hades._"

Nico shook his head once to make the room stop spinning before looking up. They were obviously in a kitchen and standing before them, in front of the stove, was an elderly woman. She appeared to be in her late fifties with light gray hair pulled into a tight bun. Despite how weary and fragile she appeared there were hints of grace and that she was once very beautiful. She wore a simple white dress. He swallowed when he saw her eyes. They were piercing dark brown and he felt as if they were looking right through him.

Esperanza tugged at his sleeve, breaking him from his thoughts, and said, "Nico, this is my grandma, Alejandra."

"Um…" He swallowed once more before putting out his hand. "It's a, uh, pleasure to meet you ma'am."

The old woman glanced at his hand for a moment before giving a kind smile and taking it as she said with thickly accented English, "The pleasure is mine, Dark Prince."

Nico felt flustered for a second before regaining his composure. "Sorry, no one has ever called me that before."

"No harm done," said an accented male voice behind him.

Nico turned to see an elderly man sitting at the dining room table a couple meters away. He seemed to be in his mid sixties with a shock of sterling white hair and a bushy mustache. From where the wrinkles were placed on his face, Nico could tell he was looking at a joker. There was a quirky light in the man's pale green eyes. He was leaning back in his seat wearing a baby blue button-up shirt and dark brown suspenders.

"And this is my grandpa, Andres."

Being at such a distance, Nico wasn't quite sure what to do. As a default he gave a small wave to which the old man gave a gruff chuckle.

"It's not every day that we have royalty visiting," Andres mused as he eyed the son of Hades.

"I wouldn't necessarily call myself 'royalty'," Nico muttered.

"Well, either way, you are our guest, so sit for dinner." He motioned to the seat in front of him generously with a wide smile under his whiskers.

Nico glanced at Esperanza. She gave a reassuring curl of the lips and squeezed his arm. He walked slowly, slipping off his jacket as he did so, and took a seat. The stare of the man was slightly unnerving, but it was as harmless as a fly. Esperanza took a seat to the right of her grandfather, and now that her gloves were off he could see that she had round yet long hands and fingers.

A small rumble released itself from his stomach causing him to flush lightly. "What's for dinner?"

"_Chile Verde_," Alejandra said as she placed a plate in front of him, "with rice and beans."

"_Chile Verde_…" he mused quietly as steam translucently blocked his vision. "Green Chile?"

"Yeah," Esperanza said slowly. "How'd you know that?"

"Well…Spanish and Italian are pretty close, so I guess that has something to do with it."

"Maybe," she sighed as she reached for a tortilla.

**A/N: Sorry if this seems a little short. I'll try to make the next chapter longer, I promise. I wanted this to kind of be an introduction to Esperanza's family. I hoped you liked it. Oh, and FYI Chile Verde is one of the best dishes ever! You can get it at any Mexican restaurant (real ones) though the meat is pork so if you don't eat pork…at least try the actual Chile though. Anyway, until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Welcome to the next installment of **_**Lost**_**! I'm glad people are enjoying it. I can't wait to take it as far as I'm planning to. Oh, and can you guys please check out my poll (especially if you like my romance stories). Please and thank you! :D**

**And to guest reviewer Just Another Fan: You have no idea how much that means to me! :') What you said was very motivating and inspiring. I promise I won't let you down!**

**Disclaimer: OCs are only mine, hence why they are referred to as OCs (original characters).**

Lost

Chapter 3

Nico sat back lazily as he licked his lips in satisfaction. His stomach was slightly rounded from all the food he had consumed.

"I'll take that means you liked it," Alejandra chuckled sweetly.

"Yes, thank you very much," Nico replied kindly and stood with his plate, but was stopped by the old woman's hand.

"There's no need. You are our guest after all. I'll pick up the dishes."

He looked at her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

She gave a soft nod. "Of course. Please show Nico where he will be staying this evening, _mi Reyna de Memorias_."

Said demi-titan stood excitedly with a childish smirk plastered on her face. "_Si, Abuela!_ C'mon, Nico."

She gently led him from the kitchen and through the living room. The coffee table was a dark, rich brown adorned with a stack of books and an olive-colored candle. The couches were made of crimson leather with lime and cerulean pillows in each corner. A rather large TV sat against the wall opposite of the kitchen entrance. In the far corner was a dark brown recliner with a small table sitting beside it with more books stacked on top of it. The crème colored walls were nearly hidden behind a number of photos. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico could make out his dark figure in the reflection of the wood floors.

He followed her into the hallway. He could barely make out anything before she flipped on the light switch. The walls were also littered with several photos, some in black-and-white while others were in full color.

As they walked, Esperanza named off the many rooms, but Nico had stopped listening half way through. He was staring at a colored photo of Esperanza looking considerably younger being hugged from behind by a young man. She couldn't have been more than six or seven and had a smile so wide it showed the gap of where her two front teeth should've been. Her blue-green eyes sparkled brightly behind a few loose curls of her considerably shorter hair, which was so thick it almost appeared as if she had a flat afro. The baby blue dress she was wearing seemed to pop against her light caramel skin. The man looked around twenty-eight or twenty-nine showing his pearly whites in a grin. He had a strong, handsome face with shining hazel eyes. His dark chocolate brown locks curled, though not as much as Esperanza's, around his face just below his ears. The faint shadow of an oncoming beard covered his chin against his caramel skin. He wore a loose white button-up shirt with black dress pants. They were both barefoot standing in the middle of a grassy park.

The longer Nico stared, the more he could note the similarities. They had the same mouth (lip shape, smile, and all) and cheek bones. Their hair was also the same dark, rich brown. This was her father he was looking at.

Without thinking he asked, "What happened to him?"

When she was quiet for longer than a moment, he turned to her. She was just barely two feet away, her gaze planted on the picture. Her eyes dimmed drastically with sadness and she pursed her chapping lips. Her fists were held in tight balls.

He was about to leave the subject when she choked out, "It was an accident."

"Wh-what was an accident?" he asked with more caution.

She tore her eyes away before squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. She turned to him with a melancholy smile playing cruelly with her lips. "My dad was a photographer."—She gestured with her right hand towards all the photos—"That's one of the things that attracted my mother to him: He kept memories, the good and the bad, frozen in time for them to be remembered forever. She also said it was his dashing good looks, but that's another story."—An ounce of joy flooded her face before receding as quickly as it came—"When I was nine, about a year and a half after this picture was taken, my dad went on a photo shoot out in the mountains. Just his luck it was in the middle of winter, eh? I begged him not to go, but he insisted he would be fine, being the stubborn guy he was. His ride up was fine. It was the ride down that ruined everything…"

Seeing how tight her jaw was becoming, Nico wanted to tell her to stop, but she continued none the less. "It wasn't even his fault he swerved off the road… If that drunken idiot hadn't been drinking in the first place… If my dad hadn't hit that patch of black ice…"—Her lips were quivering uncontrollably and her voice became incredibly quiet—"He'd still be here with me."

An uncomfortable feeling was beginning to creep into Nico's body the longer he stood there, unable to think of anything to say. After a moment of relative silence he said, "At least you have your grandparents here with you."

She looked up at him, her eyes silently thanking him for the distraction, as a light smile crept up on her lips. "Yeah, I guess so. I'd probably be nothing without them."

**A/N: Sorry for the cut off. I hope you guys liked it. The next chapter will be funnier, I promise. You get to meet another OC, Lenore, who isn't even human. If anyone can guess what Lenore is, you get free virtual cookies (::). Oh and if Esperanza, or any OC really, starts turning Mary-Sue-ish, please tell me. I don't like Mary-Sues so…yeah. And please check out my poll. Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Holy crap…it's been awhile since I've updated this story… I am so sorry guys… I really am. But, here is chapter four and I hope it makes you happy. I also have an account on Fictionpress by the same name if anyone wants to check out my original stuff. Any who, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Or Marvel, DC, and Adventure Time. I do, however, own my OCs. **

Lost

Chapter 4

They stared at each other for a moment, their eyes searching through the others. Then she tore her eyes away to glance at the picture once more, a melancholy smile playing with her lips.

"What was his name?" Nico asked lightly in hopes of bringing her out of her depression.

"Miguel," she sighed.

"Did he know who your mom was?"

"Oh, yeah," she said matter-of-factly. "My mother says he could tell she wasn't human."—She let out a light laugh—"She says his face was priceless."

"Your mom tells you everything about your dad?" The distance in his voice caused her to turn to look at him.

"Yeah…your dad doesn't tell you about your mom?"

"Oh he does," he spoke rather quickly at first, "but…I just wish I could remember her myself instead of just the stuff my dad tells me."

He tilted his head to look her in the eye. A mysterious light veiled her eyes as she glanced back at the photos on the walls. Then the look quickly dissipated as her usual jovial aura returned with full force.

"This is where you'll be staying for the night," she merrily giggled as she reached for the door to his left.

A brush of caramel-scented air tickled his nose as she opened the door and flipped on the light switch. The room was relatively small yet very warm and comforting. The walls were dark amber while the ceiling was crème with a small crimson lantern as the only source of light, although it was as bright as any other light. The dressers and bed posts were all made of some sort of dark chocolate brown wood. The sheets and pillows on the twin sized bed were an array of oranges and reds with the occasional bronze. On the bedside table was a small stack of books and a couple of half melted candles.

"It's…nice," he breathed out.

Her face split into a sweet grin. "Well, I'm glad. Make yourself at home while I get you some change of clothes."

His gaze followed her momentarily before she disappeared out of view. With a sigh he slipped off his shoes and socks, and hung his jacket on one of the empty hangers in the closet. He sat on the bed and seemed to sink into the plush mattress. As he sat there he remembered being in his room in the Underworld, how much colder it was there.

"Here you are!" Esperanza announced excitedly in the door way. In her arms was a pile of black fabric with a familiar sword on top.

His hand immediately reached for his hip. "How—"

"It fell when we, um, crashed into each other," she shrugged sheepishly, "and I took it for you."

Two thoughts repeated themselves in his head: 1) How did he not remember it, and 2) Where was she keeping it?

She lightheartedly laughed as she set the pile on the bed, and as she walked out said, "You should see your face."

He sat there for a minute, dumbfounded, before changing. She had brought a pair of black basketball shorts and a black t-shirt with an arc reactor in the middle of the sternum.

There was a sharp knock on the door. "Do they fit?"

Nico glanced down at himself. "Um, yeah."

"…Can I come in?"

"Sure."

The door opened to reveal Esperanza in a Wonder Woman t-shirt with dark blue, zebra printed pajama shorts and a red sheet tied around her neck. Her arms were wrapped around a stuffed Marceline doll.

He stared at her for a moment. "What's with the sheet?"

"I'm super lazy. It's like normal lazy except I'm wearing a cape." As if to add emphasis, she shook one end of her cape making seem as if it was flowing in the breeze.

"When I say this, don't take it the wrong way… You are possibly the strangest person I have ever met."

She seemed to glow as she beamed with a Cheshire grin on her face. "Why, thank you!"

An expression of disbelief crossed his features as he shook his head. "You are unbelievable."

She sent him a slightly awkward wink with a click of her tongue. "Follow me."

With a dramatic swish of the cape she crossed the hall into another room. He hesitantly followed.

The room was about the same size as his, but looked smaller by the amount of clutter lying around. Each wall was painted a different color: royal blue, lime green, mandarin orange, and cranberry. On the wall opposite the door was a large window with marigold curtains with a wide sill, piles upon piles of books stacked high. Instead of a bed, there was an enormous pile of pillows, some stuffed animals, and blankets varying in color and texture. On the right of the "bed" was a small sized bookshelf with very little room. Posters of bands, TV shows, comic books, and anime were strewn all over the walls as well as a few pictures. On the left of the window was a small desk with a laptop and porcupine pencil holder. Hanging from the crème colored ceiling were multicolored paper lanterns.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she said proudly as she spread her hands, sitting in the director style chair in front of the desk as she did so.

Nico eyed around the room before sucking in a sharp breath. "Is that a snake?"

He pointed to the right corner of the room where a rather large tank sat. A small lamp was set up above it, acting as a synthetic sun. Something yellow was slithering beneath all the plastic leaves.

Esperanza followed his gaze. "Oh, that's Alex. She's an albino python."

"…How big is she?"

"Only three feet. I got her a few months ago."

"How long are you going to keep?"

"As long as I can."

With each reply, he took a step towards the tank until he was kneeling in front of it. A second later, he was staring into the pale eyes of the albino. Her tongue flickered every few seconds. He almost didn't realize when the glass was gone and the snake was right in front of him.

"Do you want to hold her?" Esperanza asked softly.

He thought about it for a moment before awkwardly holding out his hands. The snake slithered slyly around his right arm, her body feeling cool and smooth across his skin. However, as she coiled it was more affectionate than threatening. It was almost as if she was cuddling.

"I swear she's like a puppy," she laughed.

Nico's lips twitched into a smirk momentarily. Most animals, like people, preferred to stay away from him. Dogs barked and growled while cats hissed at him. Sitting there with Alex and Esperanza, for once, in a long while, he felt accepted.

**A/N: Sorry if the ending wasn't the best. I hope you guys liked it. I love Esperanza, don't you? She's the girl I either want to be or date…either one I would be fine with. Anyway, until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is probably my fastest update in a long time… Well, I won't keep you long, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: PJO is not mine.**

Lost

Chapter 5

Esperanza belly flopped ungracefully onto her makeshift bed while Nico sat down much slower as to not disturb Alex. The pillows were soft and fluffy.

Nico opened his mouth once, then seemed to change his mind before finally saying, "Since I'm going to be staying here, I guess I should probably get to know the person who took me in, don't you think?"

She rested her head on her palm. "I'm a cancer who enjoys long walks on the beach—"

"Stop that," he demanded monotonously, his face strikingly stoic.

She chortled through her pressed lips. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Ask anything you want to know."

"…How old are you exactly?"

"You never ask a lady that!" She spoke as if it were scandalous, and then returned to normally her nonchalant tone. "Just kidding, not really, but I'm thirteen. I turn fourteen in July."

"I turn fourteen in May… Favorite color?"

With a grand sweeping motion of the arm she sang, "The rainbow!"

He cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Are you sure you're not a daughter of Iris?"

"Oh, I'm sure." She nodded confidently. "I have a great memory, and I have the ability to bend memories the way I want them to be. Almost like the Mist does except it not only works on mortals. You'll never believe the things I have had Morpheus do."

An impressed whistle left his lips. "Wow. Do monsters come by often?"

"Not really. I don't know why. I always thought it was because I don't smell like normal demigods or something. I am able to take care of myself though." As she said this, she reached over towards the bookshelf and snatched up a small film canister, like the ones photographers develop film from. "This is Nkri Mní̱mi̱s, Gray Memory, or as I like to call her, Gray."

When she popped off the lid there was no longer a film canister in her hand. It was replaced by the most peculiar dagger he had ever seen. The blade itself was at least a foot long, the edges appearing to be made out of Stygian iron and fading to silver in the center with moonstone orbs running along the flats of the blade. The hilt was shaped like two crescent moons back to back made out of silver with intricate designs engraved into the metal with small moonstone gems here and there. The grip was wrapped in dark gray leather and the butt was a moonstone.

"That's…different," he mused.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I got her on my eighth birthday from my mother. The blade was even cooled in her river."

He was silent for a moment. "Have you ever met any other gods in the Underworld?"

"Mhmm. I usually hang around Morpheus and Hypnos, but they're no fun when they fall asleep. Thanatos is cool, I guess. I like talking to him. I've spoken with your father a couple of times… He has an interesting sense of humor…"

"Yeah," he drew out the word awkwardly. "How come I've never seen you down there?"

She shrugged uncaringly. "I don't come down often, and when I do I don't stay long. Plus I stay away from the…"

Nico noted how her eyes became distant as she turned away. "You don't want to see your dad, do you?"

She silently shook her head, still not turning to face him.

He asked quietly, "Why not?"

"Because," she took a shaky breath, "I don't… I'm afraid…"—Her voice quivered—"What if I want to bring him back?"

He felt a familiar stab of pain in his heart. He knew that feeling very well. A want strong enough to fight nature for it.

A long sigh left his lips. "I had a sister once, Bianca."

"I heard about her. She became a hunter, didn't she?"

Mild irritation settled in his stomach. "Yeah, and she went on a quest and didn't come back. I was left all alone with no one who loved me as much as she did… I was, um, ensnared by revenge and hate for a now friend of mine because I blamed him for not protecting her like he promised… I tried every way I could to bring her back…when in reality, all I really needed was some sense knocked into me."

He glanced at her to find her staring at him wide eyed, the edges of her eyes brimming with tears. "What I'm trying to say is: No matter how much you miss someone, dead or otherwise, remember that there are still people out there who care about you."

For a moment she didn't respond. Then a grateful smile made its way to her lips. "Did that seriously just come out of the mouth of a son of Hades?"

"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you."

She shook her head slowly. "You sounded like one of my best friends. His name is Mick. In fact he's a demigod too. A son of Morpheus actually."

"I think I've met him at camp once or twice. Isn't he an insomniac?"

"Yeah. Weird, I know, but that's how it is. And then he'll sleep for at least a week straight. He's just like his dad that way."

"Do you know any other demigods?"

"Eh, mostly children of Underworld deities like Clovis and Tabitha."

"Tabitha? Thanatos's daughter?"

"Yeah, her. She's cool. And badass with her scythe."

"…She is actually."

"…Can I ask you some questions now?"

"Wasn't that technically a question?"

"Don't be a smartass."

"But it's fun to be a smartass."

"I know, but now is not the time. So can I?"

"Sure."

"Hmm…" Her expression twisted into one of pure concentration. "What—No, who—No…sigh…"

"Did you just say 'sigh'?"

"Yes. Don't judge me."

"…I didn't."

"Favorite video game?"

"Probably _Left for Dead_."

"I have that game… We should play later."

"We should."

"Favorite book?"

"_Dracula_, aka a real vampire."

For a moment they stared at each other wordlessly. Then she said, "Nico, you have gained my respect."

"I feel so proud," he sarcastically feigned pride.

Again silence filled the room. Until they busted out laughing like a couple of teenagers enjoying each other's company.

**A/N: Tada! And there is chapter 5. Yes, I mentioned Tabitha from**_** Creep**_**. No, she will not be in the story. Also, if you were wondering, Mick is one of my OCs. He is actually one of the OCs I'm going to write a love story about (aka the ones in my poll) and you can probably guess which character I'm pairing him up with. (Hint: It's not Drew). I also hope you guys enjoyed their conversation and their witty banter…I swear I don't know where most of that stuff came from… Anyway, until next time.**


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